Attaining Wisdom

Wisdom arises

In a sincere heart.

 

He who moves with sincerity,

His steps tend to be assured.

 

Seeking not pretense,

Or favor,

Or well wishes,

He is propelled by an unseen force

Toward it.

 

It cannot be said

What any man should do

Or say . . .

 

It cannot be said

What any man should set his sights upon . . .

 

There are many things.

Many ways unfold

To he whose journey is True.

 

Seek to be a certain way

And you will become stifled.

 

Seek to polish the exterior

And you will become vain.

 

Wisdom is not a notch in the belt.

Or a colorful feather.

 

Rather it makes life

Easier to live.

 

And it tends to lessen

The typical assaults.

 

Attempt to lead a certain type of life,

Beholden to rituals and routines,

And you will become a marionette.

 

Behaviors,

Rituals,

Austerities,

And practices

Are the acts of a pretender.

 

That which is not Real

Or Genuine

Or the perfect shade of blood . . .

Is but a perpetuation

Of man’s silly little games.

 

Wisdom lies neither in selflessness

Or kindness

Or meditation

Or improvement . . .

 

Such things are but pretty decorations

Hung upon billboards and placards.

 

Truth

Is a more grainy

And subtle thing.

 

With a depth that does not end,

And a fraying at the edges.

 

What one should do,

What he should not,

How he should speak,

What he should practice . . .

 

Methods,

Techniques,

Austerities,

Koans,

Practices,

Principles,

Theories,

Concepts . . .

 

Such things

Are but crossword puzzles

To pacify the neophyte.

 

No man of Sincerity

Would be caught dead

Engaging in such shenanigans.

 

One may examine his life,

And how he feels.

 

If it is satisfactory to him,

Then he may carry on

As he is.

 

If it is unsatisfactory to him,

Then he may seek something other

Than where he is

And how he feels.

 

As he so wishes.

As he so chooses.

 

Namaste.